1) BRICS meeting on energy conservation begins in Visakhapatnam

a) The first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency commenced on 4 July in Visakhapatnam and will conclude on 5 July 2016.

b) Hosted by the Union power ministry, it will be attended by all 5 member nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

c) India will showcase its efforts in energy saving and efficiency, particularly the LED street lighting programme and PAT (Performance Achievement & Trade) programme for industrial energy efficiency.

2) Taxidermists to work their magic on Napoleon’s last horse

a) The last horse ridden by Napoleon Bonaparte is being restored with stuffing by two taxidermists at the Army Museum in Paris.

b) The white Arabian stallion, Le Vizir, was gifted to Napoleon by an Ottoman sultan in 1802. He sports a brand on his rump made up of an N topped with a crown.

c) One of the emperor’s favourites – achieved great victories at Jena and Eylau – he accompanied his master to exile in Elba after Napoleon’s first forced abdication in 1814.

3) New species of ‘ant-mimicking’ spider found in Kerala

a) A new species of spider, which mimics the characteristics of ants, has been discovered in the moist deciduous forest of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

b) This spider lives along with ants in the corrugated bark of large trees and is difficult to differentiate from ants.

c) This spider belongs to Aetius genus of the ant-mimicking spider family Corinnidae. Researchers assert that while there are over 200 variety of ant-mimicking spiders, a spider so much similar to an ant has been discovered for the first time.

d) This spider has been jointly discovered by researchers of the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE) of Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and the Oxford Museum of Natural History, London.

4) NASA spacecraft on course for its date with Jupiter

a) Juno, an unmanned NASA spacecraft, is approaching Jupiter on a $1.1 billion mission to circle the biggest planet in the solar system and provide more insights on the origin of our planetary neighbourhood.

b) This solar-powered spacecraft will fire its main rocket engine to slow itself down from a speed of 150,000 mph and slip into poisonous atmosphere of Jupiter and orbit for two years.

c) Best known for its Great Red Spot, the planet is marked by cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water that appear red, brown and in beige swirls.

d) The spacecraft is set to bring details about the water figure and atmosphere of the planet.

5) Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard dies

a) Former French Prime Minister, Michel Rocard, has passed away at the age of 85.

b) Rocard, an enthusiastic advocate of the European Union, served as Prime Minister under President Francois Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991.

c) One of his achievements was the creation of the RMI, a welfare program which served as a financial aid for people of working age not eligible for unemployment benefit.

6) Linda Burney becomes first Indigenous woman elected to Australia’s lower house

a) A former teacher, Linda Burney, 59, is the first female Aboriginal to get elected into Australia’s lower house of parliament, winning a seat for the centre-left Labour party after national polls.

b) With this, she joins first Aboriginal MP Ken Wyatt of the conservative Liberal Party who was elected in 2010. Olympian Nova Peris was the first indigenous woman in the upper house of the Parliament.

c) In December 2014, she became the interim leader of the opposition after the resignation of John Roberson. She is an ambassador of the Australian women’s Education Foundation.

d) She has been a pioneer in politics having been the first woman Aboriginal to enter the New South Wales state parliament in 2003.

7) Madhav Dhekane takes charge as Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit

a) Renowned scientist Madhav Dhekane has been appointed as the Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, Kerala.

b) Dhekane holds an M.Tech degree in Systems and Control from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and had joined Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in 1983.

c) He has served various prominent positions in ISRO such as Deputy Director, Control, Guidance & Simulation Entity at VSSC, Chief Controller at VSSC and Associate Director (R&D) at VSSC.

8) Javeline ace Annu Rani sets record at National Inter-state Athletics Championships

a) Javeline thrower Annu Rani has set a national record with a massive 59.87m throw at the recently-concluded 56th National Inter-state Senior Athletics Championships.

b) The 23-year-old, who hails from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, bettered her previous meet mark with her first round 59.06m at G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium. However, her big throw of the day (59.87m) came in the fourth round that erased her two-year-old Incheon performance of 59.53m.

c) Teammate Suman Devi, who scored with a season best 59.45m registered during her gold winning throw in South Asian Games at Guwahati earlier this year, could only finish in the second place. Haryana girl Sharmila Kumari stood third with 53.80m throw.

9) Hero MotoCorp inks 3-year wage agreement with Gurgaon workers

a) Country’s largest two-wheeler maker, Hero MotoCorp, has signed a 3-year pact with its permanent workers at their Gurgaon plant.

b) The pact is regarding a hike of Rs. 12,500/- which is spread over three years and will be effective from 1st August, 2015 to 31st July, 2018.

10) National Mineral Exploration Policy unveiled by Narendra singh Tomar

a) Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched the National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP) with an intent to explore the new mining areas across the country and raise contribution of the sector in the country’s GDP.

b) The policy was revealed at the inaugural function of the two-day national conclave on ‘Mines and Minerals’ at Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The event witnessed a participation of over 300 delegates from the country.

c) The policy will help in will help in mapping of the mining areas across the country, thus creating a lot of employment opportunities in mineral rich districts.